Olive Wars Rage On West Bank

It is time for the annual harvest of olives on the West Bank of Palestine, but for some reason, Israeli settlers who live near Arabs bent on picking olives appear to regard such actions as akin to fostering terrorism. The Rabbis for Human Rights movement came to support the right of Palestinians to pick olives despite opposition of fundamentalist settlers. Police an soldiers grappled with settlers who tried to drive local Palestinians away from harvesting olives. Rabbis who support the right of Palestinians to engage in farming were denounced by settlers who shouted, “murderer, murderer” at Israelis who were protecting the very foundation of Jewish and Israel culture and values — the right of people to engage in productive activities.

The settlers insist the land belongs to Israel even though the 1967 borders clearly place the West Bank under control of Palestinians. Settlers claimed they needed land where the olives grow in order to build a road to a graveyard. It is sad when Israeli settlers complain about violence on the part of Muslim militants and then proceed to behave in violent manners against innocent people engaged in their daily quest for food.